Aftermath I: Lavender Amaterasu
by Starfang's Secrets
Summary: Prequel to "The Lost Uchiha: Ashes and Fang". Now back in Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke is trying to find his place within the village once more. Surprisingly, It's easier than he expected. Especially with the help of his caretaker and bodyguard, Hyuuga Hinata. Wait, he's THE Uchiha Sasuke, he doesn't need a bodyguard. So she's his...babysitter? First in the series "Aftermath".
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! Now, I know you all wanted me to update _The Lost Uchiha: Ashes and Fang_, but my mind had other ideas. I felt that the story started halfway into another one, one that hasn't had a chance to be told, and so here it is! The prequel to Ashes and Fang, Aftermath! Now, there will most likely be five part to this series, and they all take place within the same time line. This is the first one, Sasuke and Hinata's story.

Now, for the story's sake, I'm going to ignore Neji's death. He's vital to the story, so please bear with me. Hopefully, I won't disappoint. And since this is a fan fiction, there are going to be some things not following canon, obviously, so please don't get mad.

So here it is, the beginning…enjoy!

~Star

Disclaimer: Me no ownie Naruto or it's characters. Just the plot of this story J

* * *

Prologue

Destruction.

That was the one word that came to Uzumaki Naruto's mind that could describ the area around him and his fellow ninja. It was over, it was finally over. The war with Madara and Obito had ended, the Juubi resealed in another dimension, and…

Panting, he turned to his left, cerulean eyes focusing on the figure beside him. There stood his brother, maybe not by blood, but the bond they shared was stronger than that. The fact that he helped them save Konoha after it had betrayed him was proof enough.

Yes, during a reprieve in the war, Sasuke had told Naruto the truth of what happened with the Uchiha Clan, and the elders' role in it. To say the blond was upset was an understatement. Now he understood why Sasuke held a grudge against Konohagakure. When asked why he changed his mind, the Uchiha had given the blond his first real smile in a long time. He then went on to say:

_ "I've finally understood why my brother wanted to save the village…and it was his wish that it be protected. I plan on following it through." He smirked then. "Plus, I have to become Hokage in order to do that, and as my rival…well, you know I'm going to win. I always do." After that, Naruto had tackled the Uchiha laughing as he tried to punch him. Of course, they had to soon dodge an attack from the Juubi._

"Sasuke…" Naruto panted, and the equally exhausted teen looked in his direction, onyx eyes showing an emotion the blond hadn't seen in a while: contentedness.

"Dobe." Uchiha Sasuke remarked with a smirk.

Tears welled up in the Kyuubi vessel's eyes. "Teme!" The blond yelled as he tackled hugged the Uchiha to the ground. Only Naruto would still have energy to do that. The other ninja around the two laughed warily. They were still alert, but the fact that it was finally over was slowly sinking into their minds. A random shinobi made a sound of joy and others soon joined in it, the sounds of celebrating steadily getting louder.

"Damnit, Naruto, get off me!" Sasuke exclaimed as he tried to shove the blond off of him by his face.

"You're back!" Naruto exclaimed, tears running down his face. "You're back! I knew you'd come back, I told them all that you would!"

Sasuke stopped fighting when the tears started streaming and sighed, closing his eyes as he tuned out the blonde's rambling. The blond was so emotional, but that was one of the reasons why they were so close. They balanced each other out. The faith that Naruto had in him was also secretly one of the reasons he came back. He knew his "brother" would be there for him.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh and Naruto's exclamation of pain snapped Sasuke's eyes opened, pink instantly taking up his vision.

"Naruto! Get off of him, you're embarrassing us!" Haruno Sakura yelled, a fist shaking in front of her in Naruto's face. "Now get up! Both of you!"  
"Hai, Sakura-chan!"

"Hai, Sakura."

Once both of the teenage boys were up and standing, Sasuke was once again embraced, this time by Sakura. "Sasuke-kun…" She whispered as she hugged him tightly…a little too tightly.

"S-Sakura…!" Sasuke protested as he struggled slightly against her monster strength.

"Oops!" Sakura said, releasing him right away, a sheepish blush on her face. "Sorry…It's just good to have you back."

"Ah." Sasuke replied in understanding, a small genuine smile tugging at his lips. Naruto and Sakura smiled excitedly at that small smile. Their Sasuke was back, yet more open then before.

"I hate to interrupt your reunion, but you know it's not gonna be that simple for him to come back after all he's done." A voice behind the trio announced. "It's gonna be troublesome."

"But he helped us defeat Madara and the Juubi!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his arms in the air frantically. "That's gotta count as something! I mean, he should get a freebee for that!"

"Nara-san has a point, dobe." Sasuke said calmly. He knew coming back would not be easy. He gave the Nara a calculated look. "What can I do to ensure that I'll be able to become a shinobi of Konohagakure again?"

Nara Shikamaru stared back, his eyes lazy yet alert.

"Please, Shikamaru-kun…he's our brother." Begged Sakura. She had long gotten over her crush on the Uchiha, but that didn't mean that she didn't care about the boy.

The young Nara sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, so troublesome. You're lucky I'm too lazy to refuse." In truth, Shikamaru just wanted to grant Team 7 the peace they had finally found. They had been incomplete for so long, and had been chasing their rogue teammate for so long that to deny them this one opportunity would just be…cruel. Plus, Sasuke _had _played a big part in defeating the Juubi, as well as returned of his own freewill; those would definitely help things in his favor. Marginally so, but still. _Troublesome…_

"Thanks Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted, tackling the lazy shinobi to the ground.

"Damnit Naruto!" Shikamaru exclaimed, then sighed and laid limp on the ground. "Troublesome."

Sakura giggled at the two, while Sasuke smirked at the scene. He was about to say something to piss off Naruto when a sudden dark sensation caught his attention…and it was headed towards Naruto and Shikamaru. Reacting instinctively, Sasuke kicked both shinobi out of the way, though he had no time to dodge the attack himself, even though his Sharingan had activated automatically. Dust exploded around him, covering him momentarily from everyone's eyes.

"What the hell, teme?!" Naruto shouted as both he and Shikamaru got up from the ground, then stared in shock. "T-teme?"

"Dobe…" Sasuke said with a smirk, blood slowly dripping down his chin from his mouth. He stood before them, his back facing them…with a white stake through his abdomen. Upon closer inspection it had scales… "Always too…slow…"

"Kabuto…!" Sakura hissed, emerald eyes flashing dangerously as she clenched her gloved fist.

"You're supposed to be in Itachi's genjutsu…!" Sasuke glared accusingly at the sick snake hybrid before him.

"Heh, you underestimated the corrupted chakra of the Juubi." Kabuto said with a wicked glint in his snake eyes, the same as Orochimaru's. "The vast power of it's evil broke your brother's genjutsu…and now I'm free to have my revenge on you…!"

"I see…" Sasuke coughed before grabbing onto the scaled appendage.

"Ku ku ku, it's useless to try and get away, Sasuke." Kabuto smirked.

Sasuke copied that smirk, though it was pained. "Who said I was trying to get away?" Sparks of lightning started flickering around the pair, and Kabuto realized too late what he was up to. "_Chidori Nagashi (One Thousand Birds Current)_!"

Instantly, the grey-haired medic's body seized as currents of deadly lightning chakra coursed through his system, causing confusion.

"_Fuuton: Rasengan (Wind Style: Spiraling Sphere)_!"Naruto shouted as he appeared at Kabuto's left, shoving the swirling sphere of death into the snake hybrid's side. The enemy shinobi was sent flying several yards away form them into the debris.

The fierceness of the attack, however, was also transferred to Sasuke as he was flung away from Kabuto, the white snake limb being ripped from his center. With a pained yell, he was flung into the air. Luckily, Sakura was there to catch the wounded Uchiha.

"Sakura…" Sasuke coughed.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said with a smile as they landed. "Just try to relax." She said as she placed her glowing green hand over the grotesque wound.

"Hn…" Sasuke smirked despite his condition.

"_Fuuton: Rasengan (Wind Style: Spiraling Sphere)_!" Naruto yelled again as he, and the rest of the Rookie Nine plus Neji's team and Sai, tried to eliminate Kabuto. "Come back here, you snake bastard!" The feral blond yelled after he realized the evil medic had evaded the attack.

"_Hakke Kuushou (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)_!" Hyuuga Neji and Hinata shouted at the same time, their Byakugan activated.

"You'll have to be faster than that!" Kabuto shouted, a demented smile on his face. He threw kunai with explosive tags at both Hyuugas.

"_Hakkesho Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven)_!" They shouted simultaneously, then Neji dashed towards Kabuto.

"_Hakke Kuuhekishou (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm Wall)_!" He shouted, thrusting both palms outward. The vessel of Orochimaru was flung backwards with great force, flinging him several feet.

_ Bark bark! (Gijuu Ninpou: Juujin bunshin (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Beast Human Clone)!) _Akamaru announced.

"_Gijuu Ninpou: Shikyaku no Jutsu (Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique)_!" Inuzuka Kiba growled. "_Juujin Taijutsu Ougi: Gatsuuga (Beast Human Body Technique Secret Art: Fang Passing Fang)_!" Twin spiraling vortexes of death and destruction sped their way towards Kabuto's still airborne figure. When they hit him, he exploded into shards of wood.

He suddenly reappeared, being chased by a pride of ink lions. Sai was crouched on a elevated portion of debris. "_Choujuu Giga (Art of Cartoon Beast Mimicry)_." He whispered in a monotonous voice. The pride of lions pounced on the medic, and once again he exploded into shards of wood.

"Damnit!" Yamanaka Ino hissed. "He used _Kawarimi no Jutsu (Replacement Technique),_ again!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Shikamaru grunted, and Ino turned to him sharply.

"Shut it, Shika-kun!" She all but screeched.

"Calm down guys, let's just get this guy." Choji said, trying to calm his former teammates down. "Ino-Shika-Cho?"

"Damn right we are!" Ino exclaimed as she put her hands in a familiar hand sign.

"It's not gonna work." Shikamaru sighed. "Just follow my lead." He spotted Kabuto behind some debris. "_Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique)_." The lazy genius whispered as he sent his shadow towards his target. Kabuto shot out from his cover, running from the shadow.

"_Bubun Baika no Jutsu (Partial Multi-Size Technique)_!" Choji shouted, his hands enlarging before he smashed the ground right in front of Kabuto, causing him to change directions. "Now Ino-chan!"

"Got it!" Ino cheered, having caught onto Shikamaru's plan in a matter of seconds. She had, after all , been on his team since the age of thirteen. Placing her hands in front of her face and aiming at Kabuto, she sent a violently invasive piece of chakra towards him at light speed. The sound of Kabuto's screaming made Ino smile. "_Kokoro Goumon no Jutsu (Mind Torture Technique) _complete."

The screaming intensified, blood now streaming from Kabuto's nose and ears as the Yamanaka literally tried to fry his brain. Within seconds, however, he was consumed in a black tornado. Ino nearly jumped at the figure that appeared next to her suddenly.

"_Hijutsu: Mushitatsumaki (Secret Technique: Insect Tornado)_." Aburame Shino murmured softly, pushing his shades up his nose. Seconds later, the kikaichuu disbanded and went back to Shino, leaving nothing behind. As they entered his body, the young Aburame frowned.

"Did we get him, Shino-kun?" Hinata asked as she landed by his side.

"No." Shino said before Kabuto appeared from the ground, looking as if hadn't been hit by any jutsu.

"Damnit, this guy just won't die!" Kiba growled, and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"_Omote Renge (Front Lotus)_!" Rock Lee shouted as he made his way to Kabuto. He managed to trap the evil medic nin with the jutsu and together, Lee sent them spiraling towards the earth at break-neck speeds until they collided with a resounding crack. Jumping away from the site, Lee was unharmed as they all waited with baited breath.

When the dust settled, they watched, horrified, as an injury-free Kabuto emerged from the mouth of the damaged one.

"He is truly an unyouthful opponent." Lee declared in frustration.

"My turn!" Tenten shouted as her fingers came together in a familiar sign. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)_!" Suddenly, another Tenten poofed into existence. The clone jumped in the air, gaining Kabuto's attention. "_Soushouryuu (_Twin _Rising Dragons)_!" Armed with twin scrolls circling in the air like a double helix, the clone barraged Kabuto with a continuous attack of deadly weapons.

"You're going to have to do better than that!" Kabuto taunted with an insane smirk on his face as he dodged the weapons easily.

"With pleasure!" The real Tenten shouted from behind the now surprised Kabuto. "_Bashousen: Kaze no Maki (Banana Palm Fan: Coil of Wind)_!" She cried as she swung the giant fan at him, unleashing a powerful, deadly wind jutsu.

Deep groves ate at the ground, shredding everything in their path, including Kabuto.

"Yeah, I got him!" Tenten yelled victoriously as she landed beside Neji, his Byakugan activated.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Neji said with a grim expression.

"What?!" She asked incredulously as they all watched Kabuto emerge once again from a ruined body.

Sasuke watched this all silently as Sakura continued to heal him. _They aren't strong enough to defeat him. Maybe if they were at full strength… _The young Uchiha thought to himself as he watched Ino get hit by a fire jutsu as she tried to save Hinata. _They just got done with one major fight, at this rate they will die…_

"Sakura…" Sasuke said as he sat up, feeling that the wound was healed enough.

"Don't move, I'm not done yet!" The pinkette protested. "Lay back dow-"

"Sakura…" Sasuke said again, looking his former teammate in the eyes. "I'm going to lead Kabuto away, then I need you to take everyone out of here, especially Naruto. No one can follow me."

"But Sasuke-kun…we just got you back!" Sakura nearly cried, tears shinning in her eyes.

"He's after me, and if I don't do this, they will die." He said seriously.

"What about you?" Sakura asked in a broken voice. "You're tired, too!"

"I'll come back, I promise." He smirked. "We're family…and I never break a promise, not anymore. That's my nindo."

Sakura let out a tearful chuckled. "Naruto's rubbed off on you, too, I see.…" She gave the Uchiha a tight hug-though not too tight-and whispered, "You better come back," and then let him go.

"Hn." He smirked as he stood up. Giving Sakura one more glance, he headed off into the battle as more and more ninja joined the fray against Kabuto. He knew that no matter how many joined, Kabuto was just too powerful for the exhausted ninja at that moment. Taking a deep breath and setting his hands into a familiar seal, he unleashed his attack. "_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_"

The sudden arrival of the giant ball of fire made Kabuto pause slightly in his melee against Neji at the moment, and a sadistic sneer spread across his face when he saw that Sasuke was alive. "Sasukeeeee!" Shoving the older Hyuuga to the side violently, Kabuto headed over to the last Uchiha with renewed strength, tearing through anyone who gets in his way.

"Like I'll let you get Sasuke again!" Naruto shouted, chasing Kabuto. He was almost on him when two things happened at the same time; Kurama's flow of chakra stopped and Sakura tackled him to the ground. "S-Sakura-chan? The hell?" He shouted, but stopped when he noticed her tears.

"Stop it, Naruto!" She yelled over the sound of battle, then quieted when she noticed she had his attention. "He's leading Kabuto away, because he knows he's who the snake wants…he's doing it to save everyone else. Look at us!" He did as she said, and noticed how tired everyone was, and felt suddenly weak as well. "If he doesn't do this, we'll all die in our current state."

"But what about teme?" Naruto asked fiercely, cerulean turning ruby red briefly. "He's tired, too!"

The blond watched her emerald eyes become determined. "He promised to come back, Naruto…and he will." She gave him a weak smile, tears once more shining in her eyes. "It's his nindo now."

Naruto had once again changed someone.

The blond gave a weak smile at that, too, and then a weak chuckled. "Teme…"

** Sasuke and Sakura are right, Kit.** Kurama suddenly said to Naruto. **I hardly have any chakra left. For now, it is best to regroup and then go help Sasuke when we are revitalized once more.**

"Right." The Uzumaki said and stood up, alongside Sakura. "Teme!" He shouted suddenly.

Sasuke glanced at the dobe, having finally hit Kabuto with a semi-devastating attack. He knew it would only keep him incapacitated for a few minutes though.

"You better come back in one piece, or I'll kick your ass in the afterlife!" The blond shouted, gaining odd looks from the others at they tried to figure out what he was saying.

"Hn." Sasuke said with a smirk and nodded right before he summoned hundreds of snakes from his arms to toss Kabuto into the air and away from the group of ninja.

Shikamaru was the first to figure it out. "Troublesome…everyone, fall back and head back to headquarters! Now!"

"What about Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked in a worried tone.

"He is leading Kabuto away form us. Why? Because he knows we are exhausted and have a higher chance of dying if this fight continues." Shino said, having figured it out as well. "He is risking his life for…his comrades."

Most were stunned by this statement, but slowly and surely the shinobi and kunoichi began to retreat, leaving the Uchiha to draw Kabuto away from them. Giving his brother in arms one more look, Naruto joined the other ninja in the retreat as the Uchiha disappeared behind the debris, carrying the sounds of destruction with him.

* * *

**Four months later**

Naruto walked the streets of Konoha in a somber mood, the same mood he had been a week after Sasuke had disappeared again. He didn't know if the guy was alive or dead, and it really bothered him. Surely he would feel it in his heart if the Uchiha was dead, wouldn't he?

The blond sighed and headed to his favorite ramen bar. Maybe a helping of ramen would help, though it hadn't done much lately.

After the stunt Sasuke pulled four months ago, a lot of the villages were willing to pardon the Uchiha. If it weren't for him, they would have lost a lot more ninja to Kabuto after they had lost so many to the Juubi, Madara, and Obito. There were still a few who were stingy about it, but they were slowly coming through. The greatest thing, however, was that Konoha was considering making him a Konoha shinobi once again, if the Uchiha so desired it. With a few conditions, of course.

But no one knew if the teen was alive still, so it might be all for nothing. The rest of the Konoha Twelve had been trying to keep him and Sakura (who was also affected by Sasuke's absence, but hid it better) in a good mood, but their efforts were fruitless for the most part.

"Naruto!" A familiar feminine voice called out behind him, right before he could get into Ichiraku's. He turned to see Sakura, looking more excited than he had seen her in months. _What…?_

"Sakura-chan?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Naruto, you have to come quick!" The medic nin cheered as she grabbed his arm. "I just got back from a mission, and there's this huge group of people by the gates, and they say Sasuke-kun sent them!"

"Nani?!" Naruto asked loudly, eyes growing wide and a huge grin spreading across his face. "Really?!"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically as she towed the blond with her to the gates. "I would not lie about this Naruto!"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" And with that, the pair took to the roofs, moving at ninja speed towards their destination. When they got there, Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. "Whoa."

There were easily at least a hundred people in front of the gate to their home village, the ones in the front baring white flags of peace. Another thing that stood out was that many of them had bandages on various parts of their body, though they didn't seem injured. Kind of reminded one of Danzo and how he used wraps to cover up his Sharingan eyes…

Sakura gasped. "These are all of the people who Orochimaru experimented on." She felt tears in her eyes when she saw a little girl no older than three with bandages covering half her face. "Sasuke must have set them free…"

"Only one way to find out for sure!" Naruto declared as he pushed his way through the crowd of civilians and ninja alike that had gathered to watch the group try to talk their way in the village. "Make way, coming through!"

"We need to speak with Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, please!" A woman with long brown hair and blue eyes begged Kamizuki Izumo, who tried to calm her down.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I have to get your papers sorted through first." Izumo tried to explain.

"It's important, though!" A man with white hair and red eyes insisted.

"I'm sure it is, but we have procedures to go through with first, unfortunately." Hagane Kotetsu explained.

"I said get out of my way!" Came a clearly upset male voice, before a blond shinobi and a pink-haired kunoichi appeared out of the crowd.

"Speak of the devil…" Izumo said with a smirk. "Looks like you'll get to talk to them sooner than we thought."

"Eh?" The woman with blue eyes and brown hair said in confusion at the new arrivals.

Kotetsu pointed at the pair as they approached them. "That's Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura."

"Ah! Finally!" Naruto said with annoyance. "You'd think people would move out of the way for the future Hokage by now!"

"That's 'cause they just see Konoha's number one hyperactive ninja." Sakura teased with a fond smile.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura?" The man with white hair asked, interrupting anything Naruto was going to say in protest to Sakura's teasing.

"H-hai." Naruto said, mildly surprised with the man's suddenness, and the smile that bloomed on his face. Did he forget to mention that this guy was freakishly tall?

"My name is Hekai Aotora, and we have a message from Uchiha -sama." He said.

"Uchiha-sama?" Sakura said, confused by the title.

"Sasuke? Really?" Naruto asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, he says, and these are his words," then Aotora began speaking in the same voice as Sasuke, almost as if it were a recording. "'I am fine dobe, stop being depressed. I am tracking down Kabuto as we speak. I'm also going to be letting out the ones who can manage to live a normal life again, so be expecting more people to come your way. Notify the Hokage, as well as the other Kage's, 'cause I'll be sending refugees their way, too. Take good care of them dobe, see you soon. Sasuke."

"He's alive!" Naruto cheered, jumping in the air with joy. He completely ignored the fact that the man before him was a human recording device.

Sakura, however, did not. "Fascinating, is that a kekkei genkai?"

Aotora's face became somber. "No, Haruno-san. The recording you just heard is a product of Orochimaru's experimenting…"

"I see…" Compassion filled her eyes be3fore it was joined by determination. "Do you experience any side affects from it?"

Aotora shook his head. "Fortunately, no." His face became grim. "However…there are others who experience…worse things…"

"Okay, follow me. We'll try to fix you guys up the best we can." Sakura said with a look of determination. These people had been through a lot, but knew they wouldn't want pity. They just wanted to forget their horrid experiences and get on with life. Looking at all of them, she saw hope in their eyes. "All of you."

Excited chattering ensued.

Turning to Naruto, Sakura said, "Naruto, inform Tsunade-sensei of what going on, and tell her that I'm taking them all to the hospital."

"Got it!" The blond said with a smile before using _Shunshin no Jutsu _as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"You two can do their papers later." Sakura said with a smile that belied her seriousness.

"Yes, Sakura-san." Both Izumo and Kotetsu said at the same time, knowing not to argue. If she was anything like her mentor, and she was, they knew better than to anger her.

"Alright!" She called to the group of refugees before her, gathering their attention. "Listen up! My name is Haruno Sakura! I'm a friend of Uchiha Sasuke! I will take you to the hospital and we'll get you all treated to the best of our abilities!" A threatening glint entered her eyes. "However, if you harass any of my staff or villagers, I can assure you that you will regret it."

Silence met it.

Sakura smiled once more, the threatening atmosphere leaving her completely. "Good! Now, follow me!"

"Is she always like that?" One of the refugees asked Kotetsu.

"No, she's usually worse." He sighed. "At least she didn't threaten to beat you within an inch of your life, then only to heal you wrong."

"That's only because you touched her ass, and you know it." Izumo snickered.

"It was an accident!" Kotetsu insisted, a light blush flitting across his face. Izumo just laughed at his best friend's misfortune.

* * *

**Two Years Later**

Izumo sighed, bored out of his mind at his post, once again stationed at the village gates with his best friend, Kotetsu. Said best friend was currently going through the papers of people they had allowed into the village that day. He paused, and then chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Izumo asked half-heartedly.

"I thought for a second that we had let Uchiha Sasuke into the village." Kotetsu chuckled, showing his friend the name on the paper. "It was actually Ukitake Sousuke." He sighed. "I need some sleep, I'm seeing things."

"Yeah." Izumo chuckled. "It's been, what? Two years since we last saw him?"

"Yeah, but we've been hearing plenty about him from the refugees." Kotetsu snickered.

"That's for sure." Izumo smiled. "All the great things they have so to say about him is really helping his reputation and situation. The elders are really stumped on what to do with him and not upset the refugees that reside here. Especially the ones that have become a major part of the village's task force."

Indeed, there were many refugees who now held a high position in many of the minor and major hidden villages. Their unique abilities had helped revitalize each village after the war, all having good things to say about the young Uchiha. It had been a month since they had last heard from him, but they figured another group of refugees would show sooner or later and they'd hear from him that way, or by the occasional snake summons.

All these things had been running through Izumo's mind, when he saw something down the road. "Hey, is that…?"

"It is!" Kotetsu said as he jumped over their desk and approached the blue and green snake that was quickly making her way towards Konohagakure. Stopping before the snake, he lowered his hand towards it so it could climb up the limb. After many months of this, the shinobi was used to the snake's presence. "Kuroyuki, what is it?"

"You mussst follow me quickly." The snake said in an urgent, female reptilian voice. "My sssummoner, he isss vassstly injured and closssse to death!" The worry was clear in her voice.

"Heard that, Izumo?"

"I sure did." Replied the other shinobi. "I'll report to the Hokage and have them send a tracker and medic your way." And with that, Izumo was gone is a puff of smoke.

"Take me to Uchiha-san." Kotetsu requested. Kuroyuki flung herself off his arm and sped away at ninja speed. There was a reason why Sasuke sent her; she was his fastest summons.

Literally seconds later, they came upon a form laying limply on the ground, blood pooling around it. There was a bloody trail leading one way from the figure, the person nearly torn to shreds. He barely recognized it as Sasuke, and if it weren't for the slow rising and falling of his chest, Kotetsu would have thought he were dead.

Kneeling down besides the prone Uchiha, he took note of his injuries, and was not liking the odds. _Fractured cheek bones, broken jaw, lacerations all over the body, broken ribs and maybe a punctured lung and slight concussion. Damn, I haven't even scratched the surface of how injured he is, and it's this bad already? How is this guy even still alive? Good thing I took some medic nin lessons from Sakura-chan. Now let's see… _He was just about to start healing the Uchiha when he felt many chakras approaching them.

"I got this, Kotetsu!" Sakura said as she kneeled beside him, placing her already glowing green hands on the Uchiha. "Don't worry Sasuke-kun, I'll make sure you keep your promise."

She sounded so confident, Kotetsu was surprised to see the tears running down her face.

"Teme…" Naruto said from behind the trio, both elated and saddened to see his best friend this way. Hinata and Ino joined him, followed by Kiba and Shino.

"Ngh…dobe…" Sasuke said as he stirred slightly, eyes opening slowly. There were many gasps as they stared at his eyes. They were covered in blood, and it seemed the cornea was torn. If they looked closely, they could still see the blood seeping out of them. "Told you…I'd come…back."

"Shh, don't speak." Sakura nearly sobbed. "Everything's…going to be alright…!"

Naruto gnashed his teeth together in anger. He knew of only one person who could do this to Sasuke.

Nodding weakly through the agony, Sasuke let Sakura do her thing. He was too weak to question why he could feel their presence and yet, not see them. Soon, the blackness of unconsciousness consumed him, and with it, his pain as well.

Turning to the summons, Naruto asked. "Who did this Kuroyuki?"

The small snake looked the Kyuubi vessel in the eyes. "Kabuto."

Naruto's blue eyes flashed red before he closed them. _I knew it._

* * *

And, that's it! The prologue! What you think? So far, I like it a lot J

Review please!

Ja ne,

~Star


	2. Guard Duty(Babysitting?)

Hello my lovelies! I know I've been gone for such a long time. Here's a little something extra to hold you over until I get started on the next chapter. Since my tastes have changed, some couplings are also going to be changing, though I am stuck on a few. I will need your help! Look at my profile and PM with what you think some of the couples should be. Thank you so much!

~Star

* * *

Chapter 1: Guard Duty(Babysitting?)

Pain.

That was the first sensation Sasuke registered as he slowly made his way to consciousness. Weakness followed closely afterwards. He had never felt so weak in his life, not even after Orochimaru had first given him the Cursed Seal of Heaven. It was easily overridden, however, by the pain.

It encompassed his entire being, preventing even the simplest of movements from being executed. It even hurt to breath. It was the most prevalent, however, in the area around his eyes. It felt as if his head was about to split open. Unable to take the pain anymore in his weakened state, the wounded Uchiha let out a small whimper.

Instantly, he felt another presence move towards him; a soothing one.

"Shh, Sasuke-san." A heavenly voice said softly in the darkness that surrounded him despite his consciousness. It must have belonged to the presence beside him, for he could sense no other near him save for this one. Cool, deft fingers tentatively pressed against his temples with a gentle touch, and Sasuke sighed in relief as a cool, numbing sensation entered his chakra pathways, soothing the ache. Wanting to see her face, for he knew whoever the voice belonged to was female, the ex-Avenger struggled to open his eyes, but found he couldn't. Panicking slightly, another helpless whimper escaped his dry lips.

"It's okay, Uchiha-san. You are safe." The voice said once more, trying to sooth him. Then a great tiredness overcame him, not unlike the weakness affecting him now, but less…malevolent. More welcoming. "Now rest."

For the first time since he was seven, Sasuke willingly succumbed to sleep.

Hinata sighed softly when she was sure Sasuke had once more succumbed to unconsciousness. She was relieved that he had woken up, for he had just laid there without so much as a twitch for the last week and a half. However, it was still too early for him to be up. His mind and body were not yet healed from the trauma of what he had experienced. A few more days, and he would be good enough to remain conscious for extended periods of time.

With that in mind, Hinata made a bunshin to let the Hokage know that Sasuke had woken up briefly. Afterall, she had to stay and guard him. No matter how much his reputation had changed so far, there were still many people, ninja and civilian alike, who wanted the last Uchiha dead. There hadn't been any attempts so far, but no one was willing to take any chances.

Gently smoothing her fingers against his forehead to check for fever, Hinata smiled warmly when she sensed none.

_ It's good to have you back, Sasuke-san. _Hinata thought with a smile. _Now, everything is whole again._

* * *

The next time Sasuke woke up, the pain was much more bearable; more of an unpleasant ache than the splitting pain it was when he had first came to consciousness. Releasing a sigh, he tried to open his eyes, only to discover that he couldn't, just like when he first woke up. Frowning slightly, he lifted one of his hands with great effort (it felt heavier than it should), and touched the area around his eyes.

His nimble fingers came in contact with cloth, and his frown intensified. Before he could attempt to remove the horrid material, for he hated his eyes being covered at all, rough hands the size of his own stopped him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, teme." A very familiar voice said, the relief evident in his voice.

Naruto…

Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Almost didn't notice you moving there." He had been too deep in thought, and it wasn't until the Uchiha had reached for his eyes had he realized that Sasuke was awake.

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a hoarse croak.

"I got this!" The blond cheered, and soon Sasuke felt a straw pressed against his lips. Drinking greedily, the Uchiha found mild amusement in the thought of Naruto playing nurse. When he was done, he spat it out.

"How long have I been out?" Sasuke asked, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"Two weeks." Naruto said as his blue gaze took in the state of his heart's brother. He was slightly less pale than usual, and a little underweight, but that was to be expected after two weeks of being bedridden. It would have looked perfectly normal, since ninja get injured on a regular basis, except for the fact that his eyes were covered. For as long as Naruto had known the Uchiha, he had always thought that the Sharingan was invincible.

Obviously he had been wrong.

"Dobe." Came Sasuke's low voice, pulling Naruto from his thoughts. "Why are my eyes covered?"

Naruto's expression became clouded with guilt and concern, unbeknownst to the Uchiha. "Your eyes…your eyes were badly damaged when we found you two weeks ago, Sasuke." Naruto started. "Tsunade doesn't know what condition they will be in when she removes the bandages. She had used an experimental treatment to reverse the Sharingan's affect on the user's eyes, but it's still up in the air. And since you just woke up, that should be in three days."

The Uchiha was quiet for a few seconds before he let out a soft sigh. "Don't feel guilty dobe. I knew this could happen if I used it too much."

Naruto looked surprised at his admission. "You knew this was going to happen?"

"There is always a price for power, dobe. You should know this better than anyone." Sasuke said, referring to the Kyuubi sealed within the blond. "Itachi-nii himself was practically blind when we…fought. So I knew it was a risk when I fought Kabuto with everything I had…and he still got away!" He hissed that last part, angry at himself for letting that abomination get away.

"So he's still alive?" Naruto asked, focusing on the more immediate fact. _I thought as much…_

"Aa." Sasuke nodded his head grimly. "I don't know how he managed to escape Amaterasu but…he did."

"Baa-chan is not going to like this teme." Nartuo said solemnly. Creating a clone without seals, Naruto sent it towards the Hokage's office to alert Tsunade of this new development.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. An intense silence fell over the two shinobi.

The door to the room opened and with it, brought the smell of food. Sasuke's stomach growled loudly and Naruto laughed loudly at it, effectively shattering the tense silence.

"I brought you food, Sasuke-kun!" A familiar female voice announced, and Sasuke was glad it was Sakura and not some fan girl. Though inwardly, he had hoped it would be the girl from earlier. The one with the heavenly voice (it was the only way he could describe it).

"Good thing, too, Sakura-chan! I'm starving!" Naruto complained.

"Baka, this food is not for you." Sakura chided. "If you want food, go get it yourself. Besides, I'm pretty sure Sasuke-kun doesn't want you to see him being spoon fed."

"Eh?! Sasuke gets to be fed by you?" Naruto said in shock, and the Uchiha could clearly see his expression in his mind's eyes. "That's not fair! I want to feed the teme!"

Now Sasuke really wished he had died in the battle with Kabuto, because it was a lot better, and noble, than dying from embarrassment.

* * *

"Well, Uchiha, your bandages are coming off today!" Tsunade said with a smirk on her face as she neared the dark-haired young adult. At first she had resented the Uchiha because of the pain he had caused Naruto and Sakura, both of whom are precious to her. Ever since that stunt he pulled at the end of the war, however, the Uchiha had been on her good list. If it weren't for him, many of her ninja would have died. That had proved to her that he had in fact changed.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, reluctant to show his eagerness to get wrappings away from his eyes. He accepted the fact that he might be blind, but having cloth over his eyes perturbed him more than anything.

"You seem so excited." Tsunade said sarcastically as she undid knot of the bandages and begun to unravel them.

"Where are Naruto and Sakura?" Sasuke asked curiously. He had thought that the two of them would have wanted to be here for this.

"Sakura is helping deliver a baby and Naruto is out on a last minute S-Rank mission that needed him." Tsunade replied as she continued to undo the bandages. She didn't remember using so much to wrap him up, so why was there so much? "Someone will be joining us shortly though, in case I need her."

"Hn." Sasuke replied, feigning disinterest. Tsunade merely smirked at his attitude.

A knock at the door alerted them to the new arrival, before the person opened it and slid in.

"Tsunade-sama?" Came a quiet voice, and Sasuke sat up a bit straighter. It was the girl from before, the one with the heavenly voice. Mentally, he frowned at his behavior.

"Come in, Hinata-chan." Tsunade invited. "I'm nearly done unwrapping his eyes. I don't remember using this many before, though."

And it belonged to Hyuuga Hinata. Slightly surprised, Sasuke stayed quiet as the two medics continued talking.

"Ah, that's my fault." Hianta said sheepishly. "After he woke up the first time, I had changed his wrappings and used a bit more than necessary. Gomen."

"It's alright, Hinata-chan. No harm is done." Tsunade chuckled. "Keep your eyes closed, Uchiha." She said as she pulled the last of the wrappings away. He complied, and kept his eyes closed even though he was itching to see if he could do just that, see. "Come and check on his chakra paths and nerve endings, Hinata-chan. Your Byakugan will make it faster."

"Hai." She said softly just before Sasuke felt familiar fingers against his temples, as well as a familiar chakra seeping into his body. He resisted the urge to sigh in contentment. "Ano, they seem to be healing fairly well, and his cornea is fully healed. It seems as if he likely to regain full sight, and full control of his Sharingan as well."

"Well, it seems like you're one lucky pain in the ass, Uchiha!" Tsunade said with a smile on her face and in her voice. "The fact that you are most likely to be able to see again is a miracle in a of itself. Especially when we first found you, your eyes were nothing more than bloody pieces of flesh."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, inwardly cringing at the imagery. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Hai, but your vision may be blurry for a few days." Came Hinata's voice from in front of him.

Slowly, Sasuke's eyes lids pulled back, revealing dark onyx orbs. They squinted at the light I the room, having been accustomed to the dark for such a long time. They were, however, focused on lavender-tinted pupiless eyes. Her face was so close to his that he almost flinch back in surprise, but was able to stop before it happened.

"What do you see?" Hinata asked softly.

"Everything." He said, eyes still focused on her before continuing hesitantly. "But, like you said, everything is blurry. I can make out some objects, but mostly everything is just blobs of color."

Hinata and Tsunade nodded their heads in unison. It was Hinata that spoke first. "I thought as much. Naturally, your sight would be healed in about three months. But with chakra treatments, it should take about three weeks."

"I will leave you in charge of those treatments, Hianta-chan." Tsunade said.

"Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked in slight surprise, as did Sasuke.

"I can't afford to lose Sakura at the hospital, yet you are second only to her in capabilities, Hinata-chan." Tsunade explained. "I know you can handle this."

"Hai." Hianta said with a small blush on her face at the praise.

"That is not all." The blond woman continued. "You will also double as a guard until Sasuke has regained his full sight and Sharingan."

"Nani?" Sasuke asked the same time Hianta exclaimed "Eh?"

"Don't give me that look, Uchiha." Tsunade said as she returned his glare with one for her own. "Despite your more than favorable reputation now, there are still those who harbor contempt towards you, and will not hesitate to attack you in your weakened state. Besides, she'll also be monitoring your progress since we used an experimental treatment to save your eyes. If this works, future Uchiha won't have to worry about going blind."

"Thus this mean I am able to become a shinobi of Konoha again?" Sasukie asked after a moment of silence.

"Yep, though the Council still want to meet with you before anything is final." Tsunade said, her disdain for the geezers obvious in her tone.

"That's fine; I have some things I want o discuss with them as well." Sauske said with a frown.

Both females gave him a curious look, but left it at that. Tsunade was the one that spoke. "Your meeting with them will be in three weeks, once your treatment is done."

"I am still more than capable of taking care of myself." Sasuke grumbled.

"I'm sure you are, but I cannot risk it." The blond then smirked. "Besides, Naruto and Sakura won't risk it either. This is not a spur of the moment decision, Uchiha. I talked to them, as well as Kakashi and Sai, and they were adamant about you having a guard until you fully recovered. Hinata was a unanimous choice since she fits both needs"

"Idiots." Sasuke grumbled under his breath, though there wasn't as much heat as there was before.

"Just be glad I didn't set Lee as your guard." Tsunade said with a smirk that only grew as Sasuke stiffened in response. He didn't not reply and she had to stifle a snort. His pride was already wounded, he didn't need for her give it another blow. Yet.

"Am I to stay with Sasuke-san, then?" Hinata asked softly.

"Hai, that would be ideal since I know the Hyuuga would not allow him within their compound; am I right?" Tsunade asked the shy heiress. With a small exasperated sigh, Hinata nodded 'yes'. "I figured as much." She sighed to herself, before turning her attention to Sasuke. "Well, you are free to go later on today after Hinata has gathered some of her belongs and has moved them to the apartment I had set up for you. This is a formal mission with a duration of three weeks, longer if necessary."

"Hn." Sasuke was resigned to his fate of having a babysitter (he refused to acknowledge that he needed a guard), but refused to let them see him sulk. It could have been worse; she could have been a fangirl.

"You can leave now, Hinata." Tsunade said to the bluenette. "Be sure to stop by my office to receive the mission scroll and directions to the apartment before coming back here to pick up the Uchiha, okay?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Hinata said as she moved away from the Uchiha's side. Bowing slightly to the Sasuke, she gave him a small smile. "See you soon, Sasuke-san" Turning to the Hokage. "Tsunade-sama." And then she was gone.

"Is that why I've been sensing ANBU since I woke up?" Sasuke asked curiously after Hinata was gone. He had thought that they had been guarding him incase he tried to do something to the village, not the other way around.

"Un." Tsunade said with a nod. She headed to the door, about to leave before pausing and turning to Sasuke. "Get some rest, Uchiha."

"Why not let ANBU to continue watching me instead of the Hyuuga?"

"Unfortunately, they are not always at my disposal, as there are missions they are needed for. This is the better alternative." Tsunade said. "Now shut up and rest."

And then Sasuke was left alone once more (ANBU didn't count).

* * *

"No."

"It is not your d-decision."

"Your father-"

"Has already given m-me clearance for it."

"What would the village think?"

"I never took you to be s-such a gossiper, Neji-nii-san." Hinata said with a soft giggle at her cousin's attempt to try and get her to abort this mission.

"Tsunade-sama should have picked someone else." Neji said with a cold face, clearly displeased with this turn of events. His cousin had come back home from her shift at the hospital that afternoon, only for her to disappear with her father for an hour. Ten minutes later, he's informed that she'll be living with the Uchiha for three weeks, and the Hyuuga prodigy nearly had a stroke at the information.

"Do you doubt my a-abilities, nii-san?" Hinata asked softly, her back to him as she continued packing. He was leaning against her door frame, watching her like a pissed off hawk.

Neji's eyes widened in alarm. "That is not what I meant, Hinata-sama. You are a capable-" He was cut off by her soft giggle, and scowled when he realized what she had done. "That's not fair, Hinata-sama."

"Gomen, n-nii-san." She giggled once more before controlling herself. "I know you worry about m-me, but I will be fine, I promise. D-don't you trust me?"

"I trust you." Neji state with a scowl. "It's him a don't trust."

"Sasuke-san is d-different now, and we both know t-that." Hinata said as she put the last of the belongings that she would be taking with her in a pale lavender overnight bag.

"Hn." Neji grunted, too proud to concede defeat.

"All done!" The shy heiress announced with a smile on her face. Turning to face her cousin, she gave him a curious glance. "Do you know where Hanabi-chan is?"

Neji was silent for a moment before he sighed reluctantly. "She is most likely training."

Hinata shook her head gently at the thought. Her sister trained to much for her age. The elders thought differently, of course. Getting up from her bed, she walked past Neji and into the hall, knowing that her cousin would follow. Silently, the two Hyuugas walked down the hall and into the first training room in the compound. They had both sensed Hanabi's chakra in that room, as it was forbidden to use the Byakugan indoors.

"Hanabi-chan." Hinata called out gently, as the youngest Hyuuga's back was towards them. Immediately, Hanabi stopped in the middle of her katas and turned towards her sister and cousin.

"I knew you were here, nee-chan!" Hanabi said with a smile on her face, sweat dripping off her brow. "I just wanted to finish that last kata."

"Gomen, I just wanted to see you b-before I left for my mission." Hinata said as she stepped closer to her sister. After her first Chunin Examines, Hinata's relationship with her family had gotten better over the years, almost to the point where they functioned as a real family. Her father still intimidated her sometimes, and she sometimes bumped heads with her sister and Neji, but as a whole, it was like a true family. For that, she would always be grateful to Naruto.

"What is it?" Hanabi asked curiously.

Hinata hesitated for a moment, not sure of Hanabi's reaction, and then told her. "I am to be Sasuke-san's c-caretaker until he is fully r-recovered." There was a moment of silence where Hanabi merely stared at her sister blankly before she bust out laughing. "H-Hanabi-chan?" She asked in concern when her sister clutched her stomach and tears began streaming down her pale cheeks-cheeks that were now flushed red with mirth.

"Ngh…oh man!" Hanabi exclaimed once she had calmed down a bit more, wiping at the tears. She rarely laughed to that extent, if at all, or show that much emotion. It was just a statement of how well the relationship between the three of them were now compared to their younger years. "You are so funny, Hinata-nee-chan!"

"A-ano…I wasn't joking…" Hinata hesitantly corrected.

Once more, her sister was quiet before, "Eh?! Are you serious?!"

"H-hai…"

"And Otou-san is letting you?" At Hinata's nod, Hanabi's pale silver eyes widened in pure shock. "Nani?!"

"Ha-Hanabi-chan…please calm d-down." Hinata begged, placing a hand on her sister's shoulder to try and placate her.

"Demo, he could hurt you!" Hanabi exclaimed, concern burning brightly in her eyes.

Hinata's own pale lavender orbs softened at her sister's worry. "Iie, I don't t-think so, Hana-chan. When I helped e-examine him this morning, he was very c-compliant, and I didn't sense anything n-negative from him. He's changed."

"Demo…" Hanabi began again, but Hinata cut her off by kissing the younger girl on the forehead.

"Trust m-me, okay?" Hinata said with a soft smile.

Scowling with a blush on her cheeks, Hanabi wiped at her forehead. "Nee-chan, I'm sweating! That's so gross!"

"As gross a-as you kissing Konohamaru-kun?" Hinata asked with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"That-that was just his cheek!" Hanabi protested, cheeks a flaming. "How do you even know that?!"

Neji watched as Hinata giggled and the sisters continued to interact with each other. They had changed so much since their time as Genin. Though still with a stutter, Hinata was one of the strongest kunoichi in Konohagakure, and she had confidence in abundance now, though in a very subtle manner. Hanabi, on the other hand, was a lot more expressive, though she could put on the Hyuuga mask like a pro as needed, something that Hinata had also learned along the years. There was no more of that tension between them that had been there for so long.

Neji made a mental note of _talking _with Konohamaru sometime soon.

"I have to get back to training nee-chan, but promise to visit, okay?" Hanabi's words brought Neji out of his thoughts.

"Of c-course, Hana-chan!" Hianta said happily. The sisters said goodbye before Hinata left Hanabi to her training. Once more, Neji followed Hinata after he had said goodbye to Hanabi. He watched as Hinata gathered her bag and headed to their father's office to say a quick goodbye, and then continued to the front of the compound.

Turning around, Hinata smiled softly at Neji just outside the compound gates. The guards on duty ignored them. "Goodbye, Neji-nii-san! See you soon!"

"Hinata-sama…" He hesitated a second before pushing his discomfort aside. Even after all this time, it was still hard for him to be as expressive as Hanabi. "…be careful."

"Hai, nii-san." She said, her eyes soft.

Neji's expression darkened. "And if he tries anything, tell me, and I will make sure the Uchiha bloodline ends with him."

Though the threat was very much real, to his dismay, Hinata giggled softly at him, her eyes full of amusement. "Hai, nii-san. Sayonara." And with that, Hinata made her way to the Hokage's office.

* * *

Sasuke was in a fowl mood by the time they reached his new apartment, the same one that he would be sharing with Hinata for the next three weeks. Their journey to the place had been filled with the stares of the villagers. They had been mixtures of hatred, surprise, and joy, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. That wasn't what bothered him though, for he had expected the heated stares. It was the crowd of fan girls that had tried to ambush him that really irked him. He had thought he had been finally rid of that particular enemy, but it seemed he was proven wrong. If Hinata had not found a clear path away from them, he would still be swarmed by crazy blobs of color.

By the time Hinata opened the door to the surprisingly spacious apartment, Sasuke was ready to kill someone. It was a pretty average place despite it's space, with a modest living room and off-white walls. The kitchen was sort of closed off with by a bar counter with an adjoining dinning area. It had two bedrooms, and one bathroom, and a closet in the hallway of the bedrooms. With further inspection, both rooms had built in closets and one king-sized bed pushed to one corner of each room.

Since Sasuke's things were in the room furthest down the hallway, Hinata placed her things in the other room, while Sasuke plopped himself unceremoniously onto one of the two dark blue couches that resided in the living room. It was creeping towards evening now, and Hinata decided now would be a good time to start dinner, grateful that Tsunade had fully stocked the place before they had moved in.

Stepping into the living room, she glanced hesitantly towards Sasuke, who had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply as if trying to calm himself down. Despite what she had told her family, Hinata was very intimidated by Sasuke. He had always been a strong shinobi, was now one of the strongest in history, and he was stoic like her cousin. His dark history would've made her shrink back in fear, however, if she had not been there that day four years ago, when he had risked his life for theirs. Uchiha Sasuke had a heart, and it was this fact that had allowed her to be near him, that allowed her to speak to him. So it was with this thought in mind that Hinata fully entered the living room.

"Sasuke-san?" She asked softly, afraid he was asleep.

"Hn?" He replied, eyes still closed. He had wondered how long it was going to take the shy Hyuuga to talk to him. He was glad to be stuck with her, since she wasn't a fan girl, but the fact that she was the voice made his insides feel funny, and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Ano, what would you like for d-dinner?" She asked softly.

The Uchiha frowned slightly at the stutter that wasn't there before, remembering how it had almost made speech impossible for her when they were younger. It would be annoying if it was still that bad. Recalling her question, he thought about it for a second before replying.

"Onigiri." He stated as he opened his eyes, looking in the direction of her face. To him, it was a blob vaguely resembling that of a face colored with pale beige, indigo, and pale lavender, though barely. "With tomatoes."

"Okay." She said with a smile he couldn't quite see, but could definitely hear in her voice. "It should be done in a f-few, and then I'll start your treatment afterwards. Is that o-okay?"

"Hn." He grunted with a nod as he reclined back on the couch, closing his eyes once more. So the stutter wasn't so bad. _Thank kami_. He thought.

With his request in mind, Hinata disappeared in the kitchen and began to prepare the food. No more than thirty minutes later, the smell of something rather delicious reached Sasuke's nose, and his eyes opened curiously. Getting up, he ventured into the kitchen and the vision before him made him stop short.

Hinata had her back towards him and was putting the finishing touches on the onigiri, as well as the side of miso soup that she had prepared just in case he was still hungry. She was humming a soft tune while she worked and if her hair hadn't had that slight tint of blue to it…Sasuke would have sworn that his mother was cooking for him. It made him feel…sad, and strange.

"Are you o-okay, Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked softly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Noticing her concerned look, he merely grunted and entered the kitchen. She had turned to him with one of the balls of rice in her hands, and he gazed at it inquisitively. "Is it done?"

"N-not this one, but these are." Hinata said, gesturing to the others on the counter behind her.

Grabbing one of them, he walked out of the kitchen, ignoring her protest and then her indignant huff. Taking a bit out of the onigiri, he was struck at how close it tasted to that of his mothers and froze slightly before he took a seat on the couch once more. It was delicious.

_ If she cooks like this everyday, maybe having a babysitter isn't so bad. _Sasuke thought as he continued eating his stolen snack, waiting for Hinata to be done with dinner.

* * *

And there you have it! Hope you guys liked it. Remember to visit my profile and review!

Ja ne!

~Star


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